This invention relates to the field of rail road cars for carrying wheeled vehicles, and, in particular, to apparatus and a method for loading vehicle carrying rail road cars.
Railroad flat cars are often used to transport highway trailers from one place to another. One method of loading highway trailers, or other wheeled vehicles onto rail road cars having decks for carrying vehicles is by what is called circus loading. A ramp is placed at one end of a string of rail car units, and then each vehicle is loaded in sequence by driving along the decks of the rail road car units. The gaps between successive rail car units are spanned by bridge plates. Although circus loading is common for a string of cars, end-loading can be used for individual rail car units, or multiple rail car units as may be convenient.
It is common for movable ramps to be employed to permit trailers to be driven up onto the rail cars. In recent years there has been an emphasis on reducing the loading time required in intermodal service, and in increasing the length of intermodal trains. Another trend has been toward the increased use of articulated rail road cars, as opposed to single unit cars employing standard releasable couplers. Articulated rail road cars are often able to carry the same number of highway trailers as single unit cars, but have fewer rail car trucks, thus increasing the lading per truck, reducing the effective ratio of the railcar weight to lading weight, and reducing the slack action along the train consist in service.
When a large number of articulated cars are used, and a lengthy train is to be loaded, it is important that loading proceed in an orderly and efficient manner. The railcars are split at the releasable coupler ends, ramps are moved into place, and wheeled vehicles are loaded in both directions running away from the location of the split. Once loaded, the train is re-assembled by re-joining the coupler ends, and the train departs the loading terminal. The loading of highway trailers has certain special features. First, the highway trailers are backed into position sequentially using a hostler truck, or tractor. Backing a highway trailer on a flat car is a task requiring some care. It is advantageous to align the loading ramp well before commencing loading of the trailers.
At present, time is often wasted aligning the ramps. It would be highly advantageous to have a ramp that can be aligned relatively quickly and easily.
In an aspect of the invention there is a movable ramp operable to permit wheeled vehicles to be end-loaded onto a deck of a rail road car. The ramp has a trackway assembly along which vehicles can be conducted and a set of wheels to which the trackway assembly is mounted. The wheels facilitate positioning of the trackway assembly relative to the rail road car. The trackway assembly has a first end locatable next to an end of the rail road car, and a second end locatable away from the rail road car next to a base surface that is lower than the deck of the rail road car. At least one guide extends proud of the first end of the trackway assembly. The guide is operable to locate the first end of the ramp relative to the deck, whereby, when the first end is located next to the end of the rail road car, and the second end is located next to the base surface, wheeled vehicles can be conducted between the rail road car deck and the base surface along the trackway assembly.
In an additional feature of that aspect of the invention, the set of wheels includes an axle and a pair of wheels mounted thereto. The axle is mounted at least as close to the first end of the trackway assembly as to the second end thereof In another additional feature, the ramp has a hitch locatable proud of the second end of the trackway assembly, to permit positioning of the ramp by a driving vehicle. In still another additional feature, the guide has a portion that is at least partially tapered, and the at least partially tapered portion is engageable with a structural feature of the railroad car to facilitate alignment of the first end of the trackway assembly relative to the deck of the rail road car. In yet another additional feature, the guide is engageable with a structural member of the rail road car, and the guide is operable to support the first end of the trackway assembly while the wheeled vehicles are conducted between the first and second ends of the trackway assembly.
In a further feature, the guide is a prong mounted to engage a socket of the rail road car. In still a further feature, at least one guide includes a pair of spaced apart prongs mounted to engage the rail road car. In yet a further additional feature, the ramp has a longitudinal direction defined between the first and second ends of the trackway assembly, and a transverse direction defined across the trackway assembly. At least one guide is a pair of transversely spaced fork tines. In another additional feature, the tines are engaged with the rail road car. The tines are operable to support the first end of the trackway assembly while wheeled vehicles are conducted between the first and second ends of the trackway assembly. In still another additional feature, the tines have tapered tips to facilitate alignment of the ramp with the rail road car.
In another aspect of the invention there is a movable ramp and rail road car set. The set has a rail road car having a first end, a second end, and a deck upon which vehicles can be end-loaded. The first end of the rail road car has at least one indexing member. A ramp has a trackway assembly along which vehicles can be conducted and a set of wheels to which the trackway assembly is mounted. The wheels facilitate positioning of the trackway assembly relative to the rail road car. The trackway assembly has a first end locatable next to an end of the rail road car, and a second end locatable away from the rail road car next to a base surface that is lower than the deck of the rail road car. At least one guide extends proud of the first end of the trackway assembly. The guide is operable to engage the indexing member to facilitate alignment of the trackway assembly with the first end of the rail road car.
In an additional feature of that aspect of the invention, the indexing member is a socket defined in the first end of the rail road car. The guide is formed to mate with the socket. In another additional feature, at least one of (a) the guide and (b) the socket, is at least partially tapered. In still another additional feature, the first end has a pair of the sockets and the ramp has a corresponding pair of the guides. In yet another additional feature, the sockets are transversely spaced relative to the deck. In a further additional feature, the rail road car has an end sill, and the sockets are defined in the end sill.
In still a further additional feature, the guide is engageable with a structural member of the rail road car, and the guide is operable to support the first end of the trackway assembly while the wheeled vehicles are conducted between the first and second ends of the trackway assembly. In yet a further additional feature, the ramp has a longitudinal direction defined between the first and second ends of the trackway assembly, and a transverse direction defined across the trackway assembly. At least one guide is a pair of transversely spaced fork tines. In another additional feature of that aspect of the invention, the tines are engaged with the rail road car. The tines are operable to support the first end of the trackway assembly while wheeled vehicles are conducted between the first and second ends of the trackway assembly. In still another additional feature of that aspect of the invention, the tines have tapered tips to facilitate alignment of the ramp with the rail road car.
In another aspect of the invention there is a process of loading wheeled vehicles onto a rail road car. The process includes the steps of providing a rail road car having a first end, a second end, and a deck upon which vehicles can be end-loaded. The first end of the rail road car has at least one indexing member providing a ramp having a trackway assembly along which vehicles can be conducted and a set of wheels to which the trackway assembly is mounted. The wheels facilitate positioning of the trackway assembly relative to the rail road car. The trackway assembly has a first end locatable next to an end of the rail road car, and a second end locatable away from the rail road car next to a base surface that is lower than the deck of the rail road car. At least one guide extends proud of the first end of the trackway assembly. The guide is operable to engage the indexing member to facilitate alignment of the trackway assembly with the first end of the rail road car engaging the guide with the indexing member, advancing the guide relative to the indexing member to align the trackway assembly with the deck of the railroad car and conducting vehicles over the trackway assembly between the base surface and the deck.
In an additional feature of that aspect of the invention, the step of advancing includes moving the guide from a loose engagement position relative to the indexing member, to a seated position. In another additional feature, the rail road car has a longitudinal axis wherein the step of advancing includes the step of centering the trackway assembly relative to the longitudinal axis of the rail road car. In a further additional feature, the guide is used to support the first end of the trackway assembly while conducting vehicles between the base surface and the deck.
In still another aspect of the invention, there is a movable ramp operable to permit wheeled vehicles to be end-loaded onto a deck of a rail road car. The ramp comprising includes a trackway assembly along which vehicles can be conducted. The ramp has a set of wheels. The trackway assembly is mounted on the set of wheels. The wheels facilitate positioning of the trackway assembly relative to the rail road car. The trackway assembly has a first end locatable next to an end of the rail road car, and a second end locatable away from the rail road car next to a base surface that is lower than the deck of the rail road car. A pivotable boom is connected to the trackway assembly. The pivotable boom has a hitch attachment mounted to one end thereof. The pivotable boom is movable between a first position and a second position. In the first position the hitch is presented for engagement by a ramp manoeuvering vehicle. In the second position the trackway assembly is free of obstruction by the boom.
In an additional feature of this aspect of the invention, the boom is counterweighted. In another feature, the boom is a telescoping boom. In the first position the telescoping boom is in an extended condition. In the second position the telescoping boom is in a retracted position.
In another additional feature, the boom includes a first portion pivotally mounted to the trackway assembly, and a second portion mounted to slide telescopingly relative to the first portion. In a further additional feature, the boom has a first end and a second end and pivots about a fulcrum intermediate the first and second ends. The hitch attachment is mounted to the first end. The first portion is movable relative to the second portion to extend the hitch attachment between extended and retracted positions relative to the fulcrum. A counterweight is mounted to the second end of the boom.
In a still further additional feature the ramp has a movable support member operable to secure the boom in a fixed angular position relative to the fulcrum when the first end of the boom is in the extended position. In still another feature, the ramp has a locking member operable to secure the first portion in the extended position relative to the second portion. In a further feature, the locking member is releasable to permit the first portion to be moved between the extended and retracted positions relative to the second portion, and is operable to secure the first portion in the extended position and in the retracted position. The movable support member is operable to maintain the second portion in a raised position to the trackway assembly, the hitch attachment being proud of the trackway assembly when the second portion of the boom is in the raised position. The first portion has handles to facilitate movement between the extended and retracted positions when the second portion is in the raised position.